Hosting large conventions has become verboten in the age of Covid-19, but now that vaccinations are starting to roll out en masse, some organizations are hoping to still have their events, even if there are some caveats. One of the events that will still trying its luck is Comic-Con, which announced that this year's convention would be held in-person over the Thanksgiving weekend, November 26-28.
The canceling of Comic-Con last year was quite upsetting news to both the industry and quite a lot of fans. It was both the first cancellation of the event in its full 50-years running and a sign that the pandemic really was going to fundamentally change plans for the indeterminate future. It was a sign that things really had become serious, and on the flip side, many are looking forward to seeing these events start up again as a sign that things are returning to normal.
RELATED: 'Mortal Kombat' Release Date Hit With Slight Delay
Surprisingly, however, the announcement of the latest Comic-Con came with a significant amount of complaints from both industry insiders and regular attendees, who protest the Thanksgiving weekend schedule. While Comic-Con is typically a wonderful event for studios and actors to meet fans and market their upcoming projects, the end of the pandemic leaves many people with more important business to deal with than marketing.
One studio that typically hosts panels at the event has concerns with the timing, with a representative commenting to The Hollywood Reporter: "what actor or producer is going to give up their first post-vaccine Thanksgiving holiday with family to travel to San Diego to publicize a project?" It's a good question, there are many people who have been looking forward to reuniting with friends and loved ones after a long period of quarantine and isolation, and those people may not have the time or energy to postpone that for a convention appearance.
Some groups have even said that their talent is refusing to attend, both for personal conflicts and safety concerns. There has even been some anger over the fact that the event is scheduled so soon while the future is still uncertain, with one industry insider remarking: "We're finally starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel in the pandemic and to put people in danger of being in groups this big in the midst of production?" It's a fair question considering health experts have suggested that there will still be some time before mass gatherings can take place safely, even as the vaccine rollout unfolds.
That leaves the question of why they decided to host the convention during this time frame, or at all. One source suggested that "The bottom line is they haven’t had a dollar coming in for over a year, they need money." While the whole situation seems to be rather inconvenient, hopefully, some people will still be able to attend safely, though clearly, this year's Comic-Con is not going to be as big an event as past conventions.
MORE: Celebrate Star Trek Day with a Mini-Online Convention
Source: The Hollywood Reporter